It's very difficult for me to comment on packages as I haven't used or even
seen them all. And one of the major applications I wouldn't recommend for
EDI is the one I currently consult and contract out for in EDI environments.
I suspect any can be made to work. I've never seen reliability or
performance issues that couldn't be addressed. At one site the volumes were
so high for one of the most prominent EDI translators, table sizes weren't
large enough to handle them but the vendor quickly modified their product
and it performed fine. All the packages I've seen have poor or no reporting
capabilities. Most often they create an audit trail against which you can
write any SQL query or create a report map.
I always start with the NIST Functional Evaluation Guidelines at
http://www.itl.nist.gov/div896/ipsg/eval_guide/section3_6.html. Add what
your client may require as well as reqs based on your experience. Issue it
as an RFP. You may be able to eliminate some packages.
The Logistics Management Institute publishes "A Guide to EDI Translation
Software" reviewing the capabilities of many EDI translators.
Unfortunately, the last one they did was 1998. Send $20 per report (unless
a different price is noted at the beginning of the abstract) to Logistics
Management Institute Library, 2000 Corporate Ridge, McLean, VA 22102-7805
A Guide to EDI Translation Software, 1998 Edition Harold L. Frohman 1 Jun
1998 IR805T1 AD Transportation, Maintenance and Retail Systems Group
Abstract: This edition updates and expands the information presented in our
previous versions. The guide provides information on commercially available
electronic data interchange (EDI) translation software packages, EDI support
products, and EDI products developed exclusively in response to federal and
Department of Defense (DoD) procurement initiatives. The guide was first
created in 1989 to aid federal government activities, including military
departments and defense agencies, in procuring software for their EDI
programs. However, many commercial organizations with an EDI program have
also found the guide useful. The guide provides an introduction to EDI
translation software, identifies a variety of EDI software packages,
assesses the key features of each package, provides a list of functions and
features that can be in a software package, and highlights features we
believe are required to meet the EDI needs of federal government and DoD
programs for several operating environments. The guide also includes a short
overview on selecting EDI translation software.
Jim Divoky
EC Solutions
2304 North Ridge Drive
Jefferson City, TN 37760-5320
Providing EDI/EC Consulting and Contracting
Home 865-471-5529 TN
Office 330-678-6091 OH
Mobile 330-606-6826
Pager 877-282-3426 tollfree
Email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To send email to mobile phone, use "Phonemail" as subject.
160 chars text only.
Web Page http://jim.divoky.home.att.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Leah Closson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 8:02 PM
Subject: Evaluating Translators...help!
> Hi,
> I've been reading through all the information in the list, and yet, I'd
still
> like to ask for some opinions, statistics, anecdotal evidence. We are
> attempting to assist a large customer in choosing a new EDI translator.
The
> current package is just not suitable. We'd like to be able to provide
some
> "objective" information to counterbalance the sales pitches we're setting
> ourselves up for. We are running on a UNIX platform, I can provide more
info
> if you like. The products being considered are St. Paul, Sterling,
Harbinger,
> PaperFree, Mercator, and GEIS. Very important considerations include
speed,
> reliability and tracking (including errors). The translator MUST BE an
ANY to
> ANY translator to be considered.
> Many thanks beforehand for any information you all can provide.
>
> Leah Closson
> IOC, Inc.
>
> =======================================================================
> To signoff the EDI-L list, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To subscribe, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To contact the list owner: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Archives at http://www.mail-archive.com/edi-l%40listserv.ucop.edu/
>
=======================================================================
To signoff the EDI-L list, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To subscribe, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To contact the list owner: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Archives at http://www.mail-archive.com/edi-l%40listserv.ucop.edu/
